Sweet Nothing
by andrella07
Summary: Lauren is Bo's last client. Her fee will be the final bit of what Bo needs to retire from a life she no longer wants. The only problem is that Bo is hooked immediately. She's so used to people wanting her sexually and for little else that she thinks it's the only way to see Lauren again. She keeps taking clients, staying in the game - praying that Lauren will call on her again.
1. Rose

**Sweet Nothing**

**Andrella07**

**Rated: M**

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended.**

**Author's Note: So it dawned on me the other day, that Bo is in the near perfect position to be a prostitute. This story is my interpretation of that. I hope you like it and would love to hear what you think.**

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Chapter 1: Rose

"No, Kenzi. I mean it. This is my last job." The succubus pushed her lips together, smearing her lipstick and creating a more even cover. The girl on Bo's bed crossed her legs and gave her friend a brisk smile.

"So you keep saying."

Bo grabbed her mascara from the table next to her. She used the mirror to darken her eyelashes. Kenzi's disbelief was noted, but Bo's conviction couldn't be uprooted.

"This is the last bit of cash we need to leave – to start over, somewhere new."

"Dyson isn't going to be happy."

The older woman scowled, moving on to fix her hair. "I've already talked to him. We've got a… deal."

Kenzi swung her legs over the mattress and stood at attention. "A deal?"

Bo swallowed and nodded. She finished her last touch-ups, adjusting her lace bra beneath the strap of her dress. She turned around and smiled at her black-haired friend.

"Don't worry about it." She laid a hand on Kenzi's shoulder and left it there as Kenzi grabbed a fur coat. Bo took the offering, slipping it over her arms and tying the fabric around her waist to protect herself from the chill outside.

"Promise me," Kenzi ordered. "Promise me, this is the last time."

Bo met her friend's silver eyes. "I promise." Kenzi had her best interest in mind, and she could never forget that. When she realized what her life had turned into, it was Kenzi's shoulder she leaned on. The pain and unhappiness that had crept up on her was getting worse. It was Kenzi's job to stave it off.

It was Bo's job to participate in sex for money. But this was the last time.

#

Bo got a look at her eyes in her rearview mirror one final time. Her makeup was flawless, but she didn't want to look at herself like this anymore. She had acted for so long, doing everything she could to please her clients, that she was having trouble distinguishing between the seductress and the succubus. Any Fae would've said they were the same thing. But she was so much more than desire incarnate. She had dreams; wishes of her own for a life where love came before hunger and where going on cheap vacations was the only reason she needed to check into a hotel.

The brunette got out of her Camaro and handed the keys to the valet. The teen smiled at her, as they had gone through this routine many times. Bo always smiled back, not one to ignore the help though so many other people overlooked such poorly paid employees.

Heels clicking on polished marble, Bo walked to the front desk. The receptionist was Fae, some kind of dream-weaver if Bo remembered correctly. What she did remember was the woman's name.

"Evening, Bo."

"Good evening, Carla. Late, or early?"

"Early," the woman answered, speaking in their established code. She handed over a plastic card with the hotel's name on it. Bo nodded and thanked her. She was about to leave when Carla said something else. "And might I add, you've had some real lookers… but there's something about this one. Something – special."

Bo couldn't agree more. Though she hadn't laid eyes on her client yet, this was indeed a special occasion and that was more than enough reason to play her part.

"Thanks," Bo said. She left the desk for the elevators. Her fingers found the up button and she pushed it in just long enough for it to glow under her touch. She already knew where to go; it was the same room she used every time. Bo had made an agreement with the hotel manager, that this suite was reserved for her actives alone. Considering how much she used it, and that she could afford to, the manager was more than willing.

Her client was early, meaning that they had arrived before Bo. She was thankful for that. She didn't like to wait, and making an entrance was her specialty. With a beep an elevator door opened. It was empty so Bo walked inside and took her place leaning against the far wall after selecting her floor. Bobbing her head to the music, she realized that this was the last time she would take a lover because they wanted her. From here on out, it would be because the want was mutual.

Not that her clients were brutes, or rude, or ungrateful. Almost all followed the rules and those that didn't, ended up with a high-heel in a very uncomfortable place. Her method of screening potential jobs had been perfected over the years; Kenzi had been the reason for that. Kenzi met the client first, laid out the rules and the cost. It was her own way to contribute, and the only way she could cross off "pimp out some bitches and hoes" on her bucket list….

A lot of their income was thanks to a slew of returning customers, Fae and human alike. The neediest of all: a Dark-Fae named Ryan Lambert. He wasn't the first person to fall in love with her, but he was easily the most annoying. He was always trying to save her from a life she chose over other means of making ends meet. She might have been a little misguided back then, when she first made the decision. But it was her body, her gifts, her obligation to recognize if it was a mistake or not.

Floor 36 was revealed when the elevator stopped. Bo stepped outside and found herself in front of a familiar door. She brought up her key card and pushed it into the slot. The red light by the handle turned green. In three seconds, it would turn again. The brunette took a breath and opened the door.

Her first step across the threshold awoke her hunger. There had been a time that would have scared her. She couldn't forget how long it took her to get a hold on her powers or how much of a struggle it was. Embracing her lust and need to feed had opened so many doors. She didn't have to hide or run anymore.

The room she'd crossed into was wonderfully furnished. The walls were painted in affable warm colors, and everything was made to match, from the bed-sheets to the rugs. Mirror frames were trimmed with what looked like gold and vases full of fresh roses were placed strategically around the space. The roses were enchanted, a gift from – who else? Her love-struck puppy, Ryan Lambert. Still, she appreciated the fact that they didn't die and brought the space some much needed life.

The bed was a masterpiece of decorative pillows and centered against a wall perfectly. Her client was not there waiting for her; in fact, Bo couldn't see anyone at all. There was no entrance worth making if no one was there to see it. Bo took off her coat, revealing a black dress. She bit her lip, just as a blonde woman – clutching two full champagne flutes – walked out from behind a corner where the mini-bar waited.

Bo's lips turned upward into a smile. The woman was gorgeous. She had a soft gaze and a sharp jaw. Her hair was straight, the tips resting over her toned shoulders. The cut of her dark dress revealed the full curve and swell of her breasts. Bo was going to feed well tonight and she was incredibly aware of it.

"Good evening, Lauren." She always knew her client's name. Bo brought it upon herself to offer more than just sex, but an experience to be remembered. Everything was as personal as it could be.

"Bo," the blonde greeted. "You look beautiful."

It didn't even cross the succubus's mind how many times she'd heard that, or to point it out to Lauren. She acted like it was the first time that phrase had fallen on her ears. Bo's head dropped, hiding a shy smile before she looked up again.

"The same could be said about you. And it should be – every day."

Lauren chuckled, her cheeks as red as Bo's eternal flowers. Bo could sense the woman's aura go from warm to hot. She walked to her, noting the increase with every step. Bo took a glass from Lauren and held it up.

"Anything you'd like to toast?"

Lauren shook her head, her mouth sealed tight.

Bo's eyebrows rose, but she delivered in Lauren's place. "Well, then. Here's to hoping you never go a day without hearing how beautiful you are. "

This only seemed to fuel Lauren's embarrassment, but they still touched glasses and each took a healthy drink of champagne.

According to Kenzi's information, Lauren was human. She was a doctor and a scientist, oh, and a slave to the Ash. Bo was unsure of the kind of paycheck that went with slavery, but so long as her money was given to her by the end of the night, she didn't much care where it came from.

The pair shared a look before Lauren glanced to the bed with a nervous stare. Bo realized that she would have to take the lead here. It was no matter; she had done it plenty of times before, but there was no need to rush anything. She would make Lauren comfortable first. Some women were like that. Afraid and ashamed of what they wanted when it was perfectly normal. Bo would teach her to appreciate pleasure of all kinds.

The succubus reached out, taking Lauren's free hand in her own. She guided her back to the bar and let her sit. Bo sat next to her, setting down her drink.

"I know why you're here," Bo whispered.

Lauren was immediately shocked. "You do?" she asked, as if there could be any other reason besides having sex.

"I can see that you're… curious-"

Lauren cut in, taking the conversation far past where Bo had ever meant it to go. "You're right! I have so many questions." She began talking with her hands, gesturing fervently. "I understand that your chi is your life force, and that you can take the chi of others. So was it really ever your chi in the first place? Are you just constantly trying to fill a cup with holes? And how do you read sexual energy?" By this point, Bo was biting back laughter. "How do you quantify it?"

"Lauren," Bo interrupted, placing a hand on the bare part of her shoulder. She felt her powers flow from her heart, down her arm, and through her hand – calming the doctor. "Lauren," she repeated. "I'll answer anything you want me to, but let's start one at a time, okay?"

The blonde nodded with a lazy grin, no doubt coursing off the high she'd just received.

Bo couldn't remember everything that was asked of her, but she answered the first thing she could recall. "Sexual energy… is like an aura I can pick up on. I can't see it, not physically, but I can feel it. Like a burn in my gut." She didn't remove her hand from Lauren but began to rub her fingers back and forth, reveling in the feel of her skin.

Lauren nodded. "What's it like?"

Bo's eyebrows furrowed. "What's _what _like?" She thought she had just answered that question.

"Passion."

In that moment, Bo's heart ached. She could feel its beat strengthen inside her chest, pounding on her ribcage like a wild animal. A person who did not know passion did not know life. They did not know love. But what truly struck her most was that she had been asking the very same thing – for a long time.

Bo's free hand went to Lauren's jaw. She didn't enchant the woman, by Lauren's skyrocketing aura, there was no need. She moved in, needing to feel Lauren's lips against her own starving ones. Some measure of fate had seen to it to put two uncertain souls in the same room. Bo was not going to let that go to waste.

Just as they were about to kiss, Bo looked into Lauren's eyes and whispered, "Let's find out together."

Lauren closed the last bit of distance, spurred by Bo's offer. The doctor's hands found their own place on Bo's body; one resting on her shoulder, the other lying high on her hip. Bo was in such a rush to feel more of Lauren, she knocked over her drink. Clear liquid splashed out of the glass, spilled across the countertop and fell onto her dress. They were so consumed by their kiss that neither one of them noticed anything until the glass rolled off the bar and smashed against the ground.

They broke away with matching, labored breaths. The pair glanced down at Bo's ruined dress and looked back up at each other. Bo stood, Lauren mirroring the action. The succubus didn't give one damn about her clothes, or Lauren's for that matter. She moved in, finding Lauren's lips again. They grasped for each other, the full length of their bodies touching wherever it was possible. Bo felt Lauren moving the straps of her dress; the pieces of fabric were tight around her shoulders because she refused to remove her arms from around the doctor. Lauren began to kiss down her jaw to her neck. Bo's head tipped backward as Lauren's fingers found the zipper to her dress. The blonde unzipped as far as she could. As loose as the dress was now, the top half of Bo's bra was fully exposed, but she wasn't going to let Lauren have all the fun.

Bo spun the woman around and herded her toward the bar with her body. Before Lauren's back hit it, the succubus put a hand on Lauren's thigh and hiked up her dress just enough so that she could grab Lauren below her backside pick her up, Bo's lower torso fitting perfectly between the woman's legs. Just from their few minutes of kissing, Bo had consumed enough sexual energy to make such a feat easy. She lifted Lauren up and set her down on the countertop, forgetting that as they kissed – champagne was evaporating on the same surface.

Bo pulled back, running a hand down Lauren's leg and coming to her foot. As rough as she was before, was as gentle as she was now. She took off Lauren's high heel and did the same for the other; then quickly removed her own. All shoes were thrown away without a care. Bo glanced away to see the right strap of her dress was still resting where Lauren left it. She grabbed it and pulled down, the fabric fell away. At the moment, Lauren's interest spiked and Bo could feel it. With a smirk Bo stepped away from her clothes and went back to the doctor, kissing her soundly. Lauren wrapped her arms around Bo and her legs did the same.

After another minute, Bo helped the doctor down, making sure she didn't step on any broken glass. The two moved toward the bed, working on getting Lauren out of her own dress as they went. When Lauren was undressed, she pressed the succubus into the nearest wall. Bo's hand fumbled along the cool wall, reaching for the light dimmer that she knew was there. The space fell into near darkness with Bo's lips attached to Lauren's neck.

Lauren moaned and crowded her even more, but Bo had decided this was not the place either one of them would be having release. The hotel room was usually kept at a pleasant 68 degrees, but it felt more like a solid 90 by the time they made it to the mattress.

The blonde lowered herself down, leaning on her elbows until Bo joined her. Roaming hands mapped their way around Lauren's torso as Bo straddled her thigh. There were still clothes that needed to go, and Bo saw to it when she was ready. When she righted herself and undid her bra, Lauren did the same.

They met again, their matching figures echoed in smooth skin and sweat. Burning lust coiled tighter and tighter in Bo's lower abdomen every time Lauren pushed their hips together. The succubus was running on pure instinct now. She'd forgotten that this was a job, that Lauren was just a client, and that she was supposed to be giving more than receiving. Lauren didn't seem to be aware of any of those facts either. She was just as caught up, tangling her fingers in brown hair and guiding Bo's mouth to the rise of her breast.

#

Bo opened her eyes; the brightness of the room caused them to sting. She closed them again, taking in a deep breath to help wake up. She inhaled through her nose, and in a panic, found the scent of sex and roses.

The succubus immediately sat up, letting the covers fall away from her bare chest as she looked for someone she knew she should not want to see. Lauren wasn't in the bed, so Bo took another lungful of air and released it. She had never, ever fallen asleep at the end of a job before. Then again, she'd never performed so many times, or so thoroughly in a single evening. She wasn't even sure what time they had stopped.

Bo looked around, flashes of what they had done and where permeating her consciousness, and saw her dress hanging up on a hanger inside an open closet. Her heels were sitting beneath it, and her undergarments were resting on top of them. Lauren had gone to a lot of trouble before she left.

There was a sudden knock at the hotel door causing Bo's heart to race. She grabbed a sheet to cover herself, when the bathroom door opened. Wrapped in a white towel, and still lightly dripping, Lauren walked to the front door and opened it. A few seconds later, she came back with a large covered tray.

They laid eyes on each other, smiling more than they had meant to.

Lauren's voice was raspy; much like it was when she had moaned the night before. "Morning."

"Good morning," Bo answered. She watched the doctor set the tray down on a nightstand and almost lose her towel in the process.

"Um, I'm done with the shower if you… want to…."

Bo swallowed. This was so incredibly unprofessional.

Lauren grinned; then threaded her fingers in her wet hair as she tried to keep it from falling in front of her eyes. "I hope you don't mind," she continued, leaning over to remove the silver lid from what room service had brought up. "I got breakfast."

The brunette covered herself a little better so she could move closer and examine the food. Fruits were nestled against mini croissants drizzled with chocolate.

"It looks good," Bo said.

"Okay, I'm just going to-" The doctor pointed back to the bathroom, no doubt to insinuate that she was going to dry off better.

Bo nodded and picked up a strawberry. She bit into it; then had to lick juice off her lips. Last night had been sweet, and yet, the morning was turning out to be sweeter. She imagined that most clients would have left their money and be gone by now – like she needed to be. Quietly, Bo got up from the bed. She would get dressed, get her cash and leave.

It was then that Lauren came back out of the bathroom sans the towel that she had before. "Found the robes," she explained. Her eyebrows knitted together at the sight of Bo.

"Lauren, last night was- But I can't-" Bo scowled at her own idiocy. "I don't normally do this. Breakfast."

The doctor tilted her head and grinned. "I don't want you to do anything you don't want to." She went to where her purse was resting on the floor and pulled out her wallet. With the money fished out, she walked to Bo and held it out.

Bo glanced down at the colored paper, then back at the food. "I guess… it's just breakfast."

Lauren smiled again; then turned around and put the money on top of Bo's things. The two sat down among disheveled blankets and shared the meal.

The nervous woman Bo had met on the previous night was far more comfortable in her own skin now. Bo couldn't say the same about herself. Between bites, Lauren made small talk that turned into a monologue about her research. Bo laughed and had to interrupt.

"I see how it is," she joked. "So I'm just a science experiment to you!" Normally, Bo didn't try to pry when it came down to the reasons people chose to procure her services. She didn't much care. This time was different. What was a servant of the Ash doing with her?

"Like you said: I was curious," Lauren countered. They'd finished breakfast a little ways back, but her fingers were still sticky. She brought a finger to her mouth and licked the chocolate from it.

Bo remembered. Lauren had asked about passion. There was no doubt in her mind that she had not been Lauren's first sexual experience. No, Lauren had known her way around a bit too well for that. Brown eyes were fixed on what the human was doing. After last night, Bo was sure she wouldn't feel the need to feed for some time. Her hunger didn't appear to care.

"So, tell me." Bo leaned in, hovering over the nearly empty tray between them. "Did you discover what passion was like?"

Lauren couldn't answer, presumably overcome by Bo's nearness. She went to kiss the succubus, but Bo dipped her head and kissed Lauren's fingers. She licked and sucked, tasting the dark chocolate staining perfect skin. Bo's heart was going a million miles a minute. She didn't know what she was doing, but she didn't want to stop.

All this time, she'd been feeding on sweet nothing. Every tryst had left her empty except for Lauren….

Bo lifted her head and captured the doctor's lips, just as aroused as she had ever been. Her hands snaked beneath Lauren's robe and moved it off her shoulders. Bo didn't let the new expanse of skin go without attention. This was going somewhere fast. Bo grabbed the tray and dropped it over the side of the bed. Pieces of half eaten fruit bounced off the metal and landed on the floor as she guided Lauren to her back.

Bo untied the robe with one hand and left a trail of kisses down Lauren's front to the sound of her begging.

#

47 minutes. That was how long it took before Lauren realized that she was running behind. Bo was tangled up in her, a leg and an arm draped over her body. Bo drew lazy circles over Lauren's sternum and traced the lines of her necklace. The doctor's eyes were closed but the left side of her mouth was curled up into a light smile.

"Bo, what time is it?"

The succubus looked over Lauren where an alarm clock sat next to the bed. "It is 9:10."

Lauren's eyes shot open. "Oh, shit!" She maneuvered out Bo's hold and ran, naked, for her clothes. "I'm sorry, I have to go. I'm late," she explained as she dressed.

Bo understood. Many mistakes had been made in the past 12 hours, and she was just as responsible. But some part of her wasn't ready to say goodbye to Lauren just yet. She got up to get dressed herself, but before she could even pull the zipper up on her dress Lauren was at the door.

They shared a look and Lauren apologized again. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she responded. She glanced down, trying to think of what to say. "Will I see you-" Bo didn't finish. Lauren was already gone. Bo held her breath and turned around. She had told herself that after her last job, she would take one of the roses home. Nothing could compel her to walk to a vase and pick one out.


	2. Aster

**It seems I've struck gold here. Thank you all for your wonderful input. I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but I had to establish some things in this update before we progress. If you're cool with it, I'm naming the chapter after flowers and will tell you what they represent at the end. The rose (pretty obviously) means "love".**

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Chapter 2: Aster

Bo strutted into the police station. Cops eyed her, dirty or not – they knew a woman of the street when they saw one. It didn't help that the succubus hadn't gone home to change after the hotel. Dyson's desk was near the back, so she didn't stop until she got there.

The wolf-Fae scowled. "You're not supposed to show up here," he whispered.

Bo licked her lips and, just as annoyed, leaned on his desk. "If you want your cut, I suggest you find a way to make it happen." The people in uniform were staring above their computer screens and over half-empty mugs.

The man huffed but stood up. He corralled her into the interrogation room and shut the door behind them. The blinds were closed immediately after.

Bo dug into her purse and brought out all of the cash Lauren had given her and divided the sum perfectly in half. She held the cash out and Dyson took it, but he didn't look satisfied.

"You know… one of my guys was on your tail yesterday. Took an awful lot of convincing to get him to drop it." He put out his free hand, his intention crystal clear.

"Are you serious, right now?" Bo accused.

"Hey," Dyson said, raising his voice. "Maybe you forgot, but you're unaligned! It's not Fae law you've got to worry about – it's _theirs_. If you get in trouble, no Dark or Light is going to bail you out of it. They get one thing on you and it won't be long before they find your trail of stolen identities and dead bodies. Not to mention that they'll look into Kenzi's particularly _troubled_ past too."

The brunette rolled her eyes. She had expected something like this from the cop. Dyson had been up in arms ever since she had told him that she was quitting the job. He probably thought that taking the last bit of money she needed to leave might make her stay around a little while longer.

"That's what you pay me for, remember?" Dyson lobbed a finger at his chest. "And… I'd just hate it if I wasn't able to keep you in the clear anymore. "

Bo's eyebrows shot up. She couldn't believe her ears, but she couldn't see any way out of this. Dyson could tip-off just the wrong people and make it hell for her and Kenzi to skip town. She gave him the rest of the money, shoving it into his open hand and hoping he'd get a nasty paper cut for his troubles.

"This doesn't change anything," Bo spat. "You and I are done now."

Dyson's lips curled into a smile. "Sure, babe. Done. Unless I hear you're back in town turning tricks again. Then I'll be happy to let these pigs take you both in."

Bo pushed the detective away from the door and left to the sound of Dyson laughing to himself and the feel of her phone vibrating in her pocket. There were consequences to not taking particular clients. Telling Dyson that she wouldn't sleep with him no matter how much he did for her revealed such penalties. Still, Bo would much rather handle a bitter man, than a bitter woman.

#

When she got home, Bo dropped her coat by the door and kicked off her heels. All she wanted was a hot bath and some silence. She would get neither.

"Dude?" Kenzi walked out of the kitchen and threw her hands into the air. "What the fuck? Where have _you_ been? I've been calling for hours."

Bo brought a hand to her forehead, trying to smooth out the wrinkles she knew she was causing. "I know," she stated. "I know. I'm sorry. I just had to go see Dyson and give him his money."

"I'm going to ignore the fact that you're not telling me why you didn't come last night and ask how that went…"

Bo shook her head. "He took everything. The entire fee from La- from the client."

The girl's jaw dropped. "What? Why?"

"Just your regular black-mail B.S."

"I can't believe he did that."

The succubus walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge for anything that might quench her sudden thirst. "Believe it." Amongst beer bottles and soda cans, she located the iced tea and poured herself a glass.

"What are we going to do?"

"Well… We still have enough to leave, but… I would've felt better about it with the extra cash."

Kenzi nodded and wrapped her arms around herself.

Between cool drinks, Bo imagined them taking off one morning, like they were supposed to. They would throw their last bags into the car, shut the trunk and drive off. No bad memories could chase them down. Tthe only thing on their tail would be the sun as they headed west for a life on the coast. Her tea unfinished, Bo set it down and grabbed a beer instead. The malty liquid washed the sweet taste from her mouth.

"We need more money, Kenz."

"No! No, you promised me!"

The young woman's displeasure was expected and warranted. "Who are we kidding here?" Bo asked. "This is the only work I can do that will take care of us financially and take care of my hunger."

Kenzi shook her head, and then put her hands on Bo's shoulders. "Look at me. Can't you see what this is doing to you? The last, what, _four_ jobs you've come home from – left you in tears." Bo looked at Kenzi in shock. "Yes, I know you were crying. The walls in this place vary from thin to non-existent, remember?"

Bo's head fell. Those nights left her with a sick feeling in her stomach and running mascara. Though she had never met one, she knew she wasn't like other succubi. Bo wanted a normal, human life. She wanted to fall asleep next to someone and wake up with them the next day. Monogamy was a ridiculous desire for a succubus and she knew it. She cried because it was out of reach.

Hell, she wasn't even like other Fae; she was unaligned and unwanted except in the bedroom. No Fae asked about her life, no Fae ever saw her as anything other than her abilities, except for obsessed Ryan. And even then, he only saw the personality he wanted to see.

"I don't know what else to do," Bo whispered.

At that, Kenzi pulled her into a hug and made a joke. "We can find something else. Hey, remember that time one of the clients went missing and we helped their family find them? We could do that. Become PIs! Bo and Kenzi, private hot-vestigators! I think I have a magnifying glass somewhere…."

Bo smiled, her heart a little lighter. "That's why I love you, Kenz." Her friend's offer didn't even skim the surface of possibility in her mind, but she appreciated the banter. She had been selling her gifts for so long, there were no other options. "I just want to make a little more money and then we'll get out of here for good, okay?"

"Okay," Kenzi agreed. Bo could practically see the wheels in Kenzi's head going a million miles a minute. She was probably coming up with other ways to make the cash or dissuade her.

"I've had it with Dyson. We need to find someone else. Someone Dark."

Kenzi relented with a sigh. "Let me make some calls."

#

"Do you want in or not?" Bo asked. She crossed her arms as the blonde woman across from her pulled a look that was some mixture of surprise and intrigue.

"Let me get this straight. You want me to keep you out of the human justice system, run a few simple background checks from time to time, and protect you from the Light?"

"From Dyson, yeah," the succubus answered with a nod. "And you'll get paid for your trouble. So do we have a deal, Tamsin?"

The Valkyrie smirked. "Hell-yes." She stood from her desk and shook Bo's hand. "I'll take any excuse to screw over that Light Fae dog-boy."

Bo smiled at her new partner in crime. As always, Kenzi had come through and delivered gold when she asked for silver. The Dark Fae would be just the person to shield them from the full extent of the law.

"Don't worry, Bo. Your hotel is on unaligned territory, and no Light will be brave enough to come after you now that you're sitting pretty with me."

The succubus nodded and thanked her. Tamsin's office was on Dark Fae land, but the precinct was smack-dab in the middle of the Light and Dark Fae border, so she interacted with Dyson from time to time. Their rivalry was just what Bo and Kenzi needed.

Bo went back to her car, nagging thoughts ever present in her mind. What it came done to was that she really didn't have to keep taking clients. Any and all money they would ever need could be stolen with just a touch of her fingertips. She didn't want to live like that anymore, and maybe what she was doing was just as illegal – but if she didn't do this, if she wasn't available, how would she ever see Lauren again?

#

It was six o'clock by the time Bo made it home. She walked into the shack to see Kenzi dressed for an evening of clubbing. She was wearing her favorite boots – and that only meant one thing: a great night at the Dal. Bo hissed in a breath to protest, but it was too late.

"Before you say no, I have two words for you…. Mechanical. Bull."

Bo's grimace turned into a surprised smile. "Count me in."

Kenzi pumped her fist and exclaimed, "Yes! Oh!" She fished something from her pocket. It was a baggie full of temporary tattoos. "Before I forget."

They giggled as they applied the tattoos with a cloth and warm water. Kenzi had chosen to put a koi fish on her neck and a yin-yang symbol on her wrist. Bo's outfit had more of a biker-babe feeling, with a sleeveless, leather vest over a tight, black tank top, so she picked a heart encased in barbwire and placed it on her bicep. Enamored by the location of Kenzi's fish, Bo found a matching pair of red dragons and had Kenzi put them on her neck, one on each side. Bo got a good look at herself in the mirror when they were done. Her dragons were breathing fire onto the corner of her jaw as their tails trailed down her neck. They were quite beautiful. If ink wasn't so permanent – and her lifespan not so long – Bo would've considered getting tattooed for real. But for now, these fake, generic images were good enough.

Bo applied her makeup and adjusted her high ponytail while Kenzi explained how she heard that Trick had rented a mechanical bull for the night. The Dal Riata was their joint to wind down. A few drinks among friends would set Bo right. With her hunger usually sated, Bo could enjoy her time like any other. The only thorn in her side was the occasional run in with past clients.

* * *

**The aster, usually with a light purple bloom, means "patience"...  
**


	3. Monkshood

**It's beginning to look like these short chapters may become a staple of this story, I hope you don't mind. If nothing else, it lets me update more frequently. That's always good, right?**

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Chapter 3: Monkshood

The bartender turned away from his two favorite patrons – or rather, his one favorite patron and her booze-hound of a friend. Old Trick had no desire to hear about his only granddaughter's latest conquest, which was usually what the two females did when they came to drink.

Bo played with the condensation on her glass, drawing lines of water, that once heavy enough, were pulled down by gravity until they hit the bar. Kenzi was trying to grill her about her last client. It was what they did to lighten the mood, as unprofessional as that was. But no thought of Lauren could get Bo to feel the need to put the doctor in a bad light.

"She was beautiful…."

Kenzi shrugged. "She wasn't bad."

The succubus spun her rotating barstool to eye Kenzi. "She was gorgeous."

Kenzi shook her head and laughed. "I got some blonde wigs back home, if I would have known that's what you like-"

Bo held up a finger and waved it at her friend. "I'm going to stop you right there."

They always joked like this, but Kenzi was as straight as they came. Any attraction Bo felt for the young woman was from a purely platonic standpoint. She couldn't imagine her life without Kenzi, but she couldn't imagine kissing her either.

The succubus took another drink of her, well, she didn't quite know what it was. Once she found out that one of her favorite mixed drinks contained eye of newt, she politely asked to never be informed of what something was ever again.

"I'm still waiting to hear where you were last night, you know," Kenzi prodded lightly.

Bo took one more sip, before breaking the news. "Um… I was with her."

"Her? Lauren-her?! _Client_-her?!"

The glass in Bo's hand was emptying faster than the last spring in a desert. She swallowed and answered, "Yeah. Spent the night, and uh, spent the morning. If you know what I mean."

Kenzi brought a hand up to cover her face from the scandal. "No, no, no, no, no. Tell me you didn't."

That was clearly a rhetorical request, so Bo didn't do anything but wave her grandfather over to get them a round of shots. Kenzi muttered through the exchange and Bo knew she deserved whatever disciplinary hearing she was going to get at the end of it.

Bo passed Kenzi her shot glass and put her own to her lips. She threw the liquid back and fought the burn with thoughts of running into Lauren again. Kenzi did her own shot, and the second the base of her glass hit the bar, she went on the offensive.

"I thought you had rules!" The girl whispered quickly. "Like no – closing your eyes – sleeping with your clients. No freebies!"

"It was an accident?"

"Bullshit."

Bo shrugged. "That's not even the worst of it." The words 'I want to see her again' were stopped short by the arrival of half a dozen new bar patrons. They were a loud group of men, all wearing something black, from pants to jackets. One of them even had a black eyepatch. They had way more ink than Bo would ever consider getting. Noise in the rest of the place dwindled. Bo glanced at Kenzi to see her visibly paling, which was something considering how fair-skinned she was already. She was about to ask what was going on when the tallest of the men spotted her. Suddenly, her warming gut burned for another reason. She was not one to ignore the warning her intuition was trying to give her.

Kenzi tugged her vest and whispered, "We should go."

The tall man in a black shirt walked up to them. "No need to go anywhere, doll." His hazel eyes focused on Kenzi, staring at her a little too long to be considered friendly. Beneath the stubble on his chin was a thick, white scar that moved when he spoke. "I tried to procure your services once," he turned back to Bo, "but your associate here turned my money down."

Bo stood up. No one was going to threaten them, especially on mechanical bull night.

"Sorry, friend," she drawled, tainting her good nature with venom. "But I doubt it was your money she didn't want near me. It was probably your _face_."

The atmosphere in the room changed just like that. Hostility and testosterone skyrocketed as the group of men barely contained themselves. Once pocketed weapons were brandished with style; two brutes palmed a pair of brass knuckles, as another man unsheathed a knife.

A loaded shotgun was the only return as Trick cycled a shot into the barrel. "Get away from my granddaughter! Now!"

The only speaker held up his hands and backed away slowly. "We won't be the ones to incite violence in a waystation, but mark my words succubus. You'll be wishing you hadn't said that."

He made it to the door just as Bo responded, "Not in this century."

Trick didn't lower his weapon until they were gone and the door closed behind them. He set the shotgun on the bar and sighed.

Bo turned to Kenzi in surprise. "What the hell was that?!" Her grandfather answered in the girl's place.

"That was Kasper, leader of The Pale Bones, a Light Fae gang."

"The Light have gangs? I thought that was just a Dark thing."

"They're the only known Light Fae gang on the continent," Trick informed her. "And don't let the fact that they're Light fool you. Just like the Dark has their members who value human life very highly, the Light has their brigands and cold-blooded murderers. It's said that Kasper was too dark for the Dark, so to speak. That's why they always wear something black."

"What kind of Fae is he?"

"A Bannik."

"A Bannik?" the succubus repeated, making sure she could pronounce the word correctly. "I swear, there are more types of Fae than should be natural. It's like every nightmare any human ever had was unknowingly based on reality."

Kenzi lifted an eyebrow. Her friend's theory was entirely uncharacteristic of her. _Someone_ had clearly spent a little bit too much time in the company of a Light Fae scientist.

"Banniks can tell the future, but never ask one for a reading," Trick warned.

"Why not?"

This time it was Kenzi who answered. "Because they'll slice your back three ways to Sunday and read the future from your blood _if_ you're still alive to hear about it." Bo grimaced. "When I made Dyson do a background check on him, all his gang history came up. Kasper's one fucked up guy, and there was no way in Hell I was letting him be alone with you."

The brunette put an arm around Kenzi and smiled at her. "I can see why. Come on," she badgered. "There's a mechanical bull over there with our names on it. We can talk to Tamsin in the morning about Kasper and his groupies. She'll sort it out, and we won't have to worry, okay?" She didn't overlook the fact that Tamsin was Dark and the gang was Light, but Kenzi was clearly freaked out. The girl needed to know everything would be all right. And it would be, because Bo wouldn't let anything happen to either one of them.

When it was clear the gang wasn't coming back, the place lightened up. People started drinking and laughing again. Bo and Kenzi stayed until closing time, and when they walked to their car, Trick escorted them out with his shotgun. Bo got an inebriated Kenzi settled in the passenger seat and went to her grandfather.

"How bad is this?" she asked, sobered from the last two hours of drinking nothing but water. "How bad, really?"

"You still leaving town?" When Bo nodded, he finished, "Sooner will be better than later."

Nothing else was said. Bo hugged her only blood-family and got into her Camaro. Everything was pushing her to get out of the city, but an invisible tether kept her in place.

#

Tamsin wasn't pleased when Bo called her office the next morning and gave her a rundown of what transpired. Kenzi was out of it in her room when the Valkyrie knocked on their front door. Bo was expecting her, so she let the woman in.

Two manila folders were thrust into Bo's hands. "Here's a copy of the files you wanted, but we don't have much on the Light." Free of her burden, Tamsin glanced around the shack. "For as much money as you must pull in, surely you could afford something better than this."

Bo shrugged as she glanced through the papers. She wasn't going to explain her living choices to the blonde.

Obviously fine with being ignored, Tamsin moved on. "What's with the human doctor? What do you need information on her for?"

Bo placed both of the files on the island in the kitchen, making sure Lauren's was out of sight. "Unrelated. What I'm really concerned about is Kasper."

"You should be," Tamsin agreed.

"If he's so much trouble, why isn't he locked up?"

"Evidence. A significant lack thereof." Bored with her partner's digs, Tamsin's gaze turned to her nails. "Every time the Light or Dark thinks they have something on him, the fingerprints vanish or the witness won't talk anymore."

"Won't?" Bo questioned. "Or can't?"

Tamsin smiled. "I'm good at what I do. The best, actually, but even I'm unsure if I can keep you safe if Kasper puts his mind to it. If you decided to join the Dark, then-"

"No," the succubus interrupted. She had lived all her Fae years unaligned; she wasn't going to change that now.

"Take it easy, Bo. I'm just thinking of your best interests," she ended quietly. The blonde walked toward the front door. "I'll keep my ears open; see if any of my contacts hear anything about The Pale Bone's intentions."

"I'd appreciate that. Oh, and Tamsin. I have a job tomorrow. When it's done, I'll drop by your office for your cut."

Tamsin grinned and opened the door. "Excellent." With that, she was gone.

Bo sighed and rubbed her eyes. She was still tired from last night, but the sun waited for no one. It wasn't her normal practice to take a job so quickly after the last, but Ryan Lambert had called her with an offer she couldn't turn down right now. Bo went right over Kenzi's head and set up the appointment herself. Ryan was thrilled.

Not wasting another second, Bo went back to the files. She wanted to open Lauren's first, but a picture had fallen out of Kasper's and its dark red presence caught her eye. It was a badly printed photo on paper that wasn't meant for such delicate work. Then again, all the information Tamsin had brought her couldn't be what they actually had on file, only reprints and copies.

Bo swallowed at the sight of a porcelain bathtub painted with blood. She set the picture down and grabbed Kasper's folder. He was a real piece of work, but just like Tamsin said, everything on him was circumstantial. His MO was particularly gruesome, always carving runic letters into his victim's backside and then letting them bleed to death in their own tub. Kasper was from Poland. His family roots were seeped in blood from the Polish mob, but he had never once spent a night in a jail of any kind.

Sick of reading about unsolved murders, some over a hundred years old, Bo picked up Lauren's information instead. The second her fingers touched the paper, she felt better. With greedy eyes, Bo opened the folder.

Tamsin was right; they didn't know much about her. What Bo could learn, she devoured. The woman's middle name was Elizabeth. Her birthday was in early February and that made her an Aquarius. And if there was such a thing as wolf-shifters and vampires, then surely there could be something to the Zodiac. She was a Scorpio. Did that mean they were compatible? Were they soulmates with a destiny written in the stars? Kenzi would know.

Lauren graduated from Yale with more honors than could fit on one page. It begged the question: what on Earth was such a smart woman doing forfeiting her freedom to the Ash?

And how could Bo get her out of it?

It was way too soon to be thinking of such things, but she couldn't help it. Hell, here she was stalking the woman through any means necessary. Which reminded her, Kenzi probably still had her contact information. The succubus hid the files and snuck into Kenzi's room to get her cellphone. It was on the night stand, just where Bo had left it for the girl. She reached for it but was stopped when Kenzi moaned in her sleep.

Bo had to take a good look at herself and what she was doing. What was she thinking? About calling Lauren and asking her out on a date…. There couldn't have been a more foolish thought. If Lauren wanted her, if Lauren wanted to be with her – then she had all the opportunity in the world to get a hold of Kenzi again.

* * *

**Monkshood can be blue, purple, yellow, pink, or white, and it is very poisonous. The flower means "beware, a deadly foe is near."**

**[dramatic music plays in the background]**


	4. Gardenia

**One of my lovely readers mentioned in a review that they search each of these flowers to see what they look like. I think that's genius and would like to encourage all of you to do it if you want to. Sometimes I forget that not everyone has worked at a greenhouse like I have... As you've all been requesting like mad - I give you Bo and Lauren's next meeting!**

* * *

Chapter 4: Gardenia

Bo's night with Ryan was melancholic at best. Sure, she played her part just right and had earned her money, but his confessions of love felt hollow. The succubus went home on time and found Kenzi playing her favorite video game. To the sounds of dying robot zombie hookers, Bo made them dinner. For once, she didn't feel like ordering pizza.

A somber week passed. Kenzi and Bo stayed on alert, watching for any signs that they might be in danger. As quickly as the pressure from the gang had come, it disappeared. Tamsin had heard nothing about The Pale Bones other than their usual drug-dealing and further illicit chores. Bo wasn't going to let the silence deter her from caution. She'd come to keeping a dagger nearby at all times.

It was that blade she was sharpening when Kenzi walked into the living room.

"So, guess who just called me."

Bo didn't look up. She ran the edge of her knife over the stone at a very shallow angle. Tamsin had suggested she take steps to protect them, and with the Valkyrie's help, Bo was learning what it took. Choosing a weapon and knowing it in its all its forms was one of those steps.

"If it's Ryan," Bo answered, checking the sharpness of her blade with a gentle caress, "call him back and tell him I don't want to see him again."

"Nooooo," Kenzi drawled, surprised. "It was Lauren."

Bo's finger slipped and cut open on the dagger. All curses were stopped short by her putting the injured finger in her mouth and sucking on it. It was a gut reaction seeped in instinct. Maybe if the woman in question had been present, she could've told Bo that salvia was full of antibodies and helped stop blood flow. The succubus pulled the appendage back and looked at her forefinger. The cut didn't look deep, but it didn't stop bleeding. Rising from the couch, she grabbed a paper towel in the kitchen and pressed it to her small wound.

"Mental note: don't mention Doctor Hotpants when sharp objects are nearby…."

Bo scowled at the girl, unimpressed by the new nickname. "Very funny, Kenz. Now tell me what she wanted."

"Or what?" the girl teased. "You'll cut yourself again? I'm so scared."

The pressure Bo put on her finger increased with every aggravated second that Kenzi didn't tell her what she was dying to know.

Kenzi shook her head. "What do you_ think_ she wanted?" she asked rhetorically. "I don't think it was the number of your florist…. Anyway! If you want to see her again, I suppose I better call her back."

Bo's heart was beating fast. She tried to play off the adrenaline as a reaction to the fact that she'd just injured herself, but any sane person would know better. As calmly as she could, she responded.

"Sure. Sure, go on ahead and set something up."

Kenzi squinted at her, knowingly. "Are you positive? Just a minute ago you were ready turn down ol' puppy love."

Bo's nostrils flared; her lungs were struggling to take in air. "I'm sure."

Kenzi's inquisitive look changed into one of glee. "Okay, babe! You're the boss!" A second later, she vanished back into her room and shut the door behind her.

Bo instantly regretted letting Kenzi leave so quickly. She should've told the girl to make their meeting as soon as possible, because there was no way Bo's nerves would survive more than a night of waiting. What if she didn't see Lauren for days? What if it was a whole week? What if it was two? Some clients were like that, arranging times far in advance.

The brunette didn't realize she was pacing until Kenzi joined her again. Bo stilled and checked on the state of her finger, like somehow that would cover up the fact that she was losing her mind. The cut stung like the devil but appeared not to need stitches.

"Alright," Kenzi said. "Hotel at six."

"Tonight?"

"Tonight."

Bo swallowed. Her heart had been so active a minute ago, but now it was nowhere to be found. It must have dropped into her stomach because that was the only way to explain her sudden queasiness.

#

It took Bo all of two seconds to decide she absolutely hated her favorite dress. It was the seventh outfit she stripped herself of and tossed toward her bed. Kenzi was digging through her closet, deeply amused by her friend's panic.

"Do I have nothing?!" Bo shouted. She put her hands on her hips and stared at herself in the mirror. In nothing but lace panties and a bra, the Fae huffed.

Kenzi walked out with a red dress on a hanger. "Here. Try this, honey."

Bo tried not to look at the fabric as she put it on, because she knew the second she saw it – her brain would label it: not good enough. The cut of the dress was similar to the one she'd been wearing the first time she met Lauren. That memory helped abate the misgivings about her clothes, and she smiled at her reflection.

Kenzi helped her smooth out some wrinkles from putting the dress on, and asked, "Happy now?"

Bo nodded. It was only an hour until six o'clock, so the woman focused on applying her makeup. Kenzi did her hair into a French braid from the top down. By the time all was said and done, Bo's physical presence could have felled any strong heart.

She was in the middle of trying to find her car keys, when Kenzi asked, "Should I expect you home tonight?"

"Um, of course," Bo responded, knowing her friend wouldn't buy it.

"Of course," she repeated. "Because if you wanted to stay… I'd be okay with that."

Just when Bo thought she'd gotten her nerves under control, naturally, Kenzi would go and drop a bombshell on her. Bo heard her statement for what it was: permission to get out of the game. Permission to fall in love.

"Don't be silly, Kenzi. Lauren's just another client." Before the girl could challenge her, Bo located her keys and shouted, "Got my keys! See you later!" Denial was the best defense she could muster.

#

"Hey, Carla," Bo greeted. It was not her usual hello, but it was the best she could manage. "My, um… you know… is she late or early?"

The woman at the desk looked confused but handed Bo her keycard just the same. "Early, again."

Bo nodded her understanding. She was aware that she wasn't acting like herself, but at this moment all she cared about was making it to the room in one piece. She walked to the elevators and got in the first one that opened. A familiar tune emanated from the speakers above her head. Bo tapped her foot to the beat. She was trying to put up that front, the act that was the seductress. Floor after floor lit up on the control panel, but the grip on her purse didn't loosen.

Where was the charming temptress? Because all Bo could feel inside her breast was the nervous-excitement of a woman in love.

At her floor, she took a deep breath and stepped outside. The silver numbers of door 365 stood out against an umber-colored door. Not skipping town was about to pay off. Bo unlocked the door with her keycard and grabbed the metal handle.

Almost just like before, a woman stood – two full champagne glasses in hand. Bo had not expected to see this Lauren. This Lauren was not dressed for some dinner party or date, but a normal day in a normal life. Her longsleeve shirt matched the color and warmth of her eyes. To Bo, she looked even more striking.

"Lauren…" There was only one thing keeping the succubus from dropping everything and having Lauren right this second. Bo's honeyed voice glazed over the single, world-shaking question. "Have you heard how beautiful you are today?"

The human's smile grew ten-fold as she lightly shook her head. It was a travesty to be sure. Bo set her purse on the lamp stand next to her and walked to Lauren. With a grin, she guided Lauren's hands to place the champagne on a small table behind her. The glasses taken care of, Bo tangled her fingers in light-colored hair and kissed the woman's jaw. She made her way to Lauren's ear, her other arm wrapped around the woman's back.

"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," she whispered. Bo was certain that if she could see her eyes, they would be blue with the knowledge that she was being honest and honestly ready to devour _every_ inch of Lauren.

Warm on her neck, Lauren's breathing was erratic. Bo pushed their bodies together, catching the human off-guard and causing her to take a step back. She bumped into the table, and the resulting tremor knocked over both of the champagne flutes. It was beginning to look like spilled champagne and broken glass would be their MO. Bo reminded herself to leave a tip for the cleaning crew at the front desk. Pulling away from their embrace, she directed Lauren away from the mess.

Undressing was never a chore when passion guided her hand. Bo took her time, supplying kisses wherever she wanted to, and occasionally, when Lauren begged her too. She had one goal in mind tonight; she would leave the woman's legs shaking. And if that meant Lauren couldn't possibly abandon her before Bo was ready for her to – then so be it.

#

Bo didn't let herself fall asleep this time. Her word that she would return home before the night was over kept replaying in her mind. Lauren was just a client… Could there be anything more false?

The brunette smiled over Lauren, caressing her strong collarbone with a gentle hand. Her cut had healed sometime in the evening, not that she would have noticed it otherwise. Eyes that had settled back into their normal color, focused on the lone object that either one of them was still wearing. Bo picked up the charm and played with it in the dark.

Bo gathered all the courage she could muster. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Lauren rasped. She left her eyes closed, still trying to recover.

"Why-" Bo stopped. The words 'are you here with me' were revised on the spot. "Why be a slave?" Being a part of the Fae world, she came to learn that most humans served Fae because their families had in the lifetimes before. Reading Lauren's file, she knew that was not the case. The doctor had come out of nowhere, with no ties to any Fae lineage until her arrangement with The Ash.

"Well…. It's not as bad as some people might think. The Ash has given me access to everything I could ever need. I don't have to apply for research grants, or worry that a failed experiment will lead to lost funds. The only condition is that I put the Fae first. It's not a bad deal. I know some colleagues that would kill for my amount of freedom."

"But you're a slave."

Lauren rolled toward the Fae. "And that means I must be unhappy with my life, because slavery comes with a slew of negative connotations and an altogether horrendous record in human history?" Bo shrugged but couldn't dim her smile despite their topic. Lauren's clear intelligence was simply that attractive. "I'm one of the lucky ones, Bo. I don't have everything I want, and if leadership of the Light Fae were to change… I would have a lot to lose, but that's not going to stop me from loving the work I do."

Bo nodded. "I think I understand." Her other question was still hovering around the back of her mind, but so was the fear that she wouldn't like the answer.

"My turn."

"Hmm?"

"It's my turn to ask you something," Lauren clarified.

Bo answered quietly, her heartbeat picking up in pace. "Okay, but if you're going to ask me about passion again, I'm going to be really disappointed in myself."

The human laughed. "Your obvious skill isn't in question and _nothing_ to be disappointed with," she soothed. Bo's ego inflated. Of course she was good in bed; she was genetically predisposed to be good in bed. But hearing it from Lauren mattered. "What's with the roses? They don't look like they've aged a day, but they're definitely the ones from before."

Bo's stomach turned sour at their mention, but she tried not to show it. Lying in bed with the one person who didn't make her feel empty, she didn't care to be reminded of all the other lovers she'd taken in the same bed. Disillusioned from her fantasy of some kind of personal relationship with Lauren, Bo got up from the bed and dressed as she explained.

"You're right, they're the same roses." After slipping on her dress, she turned on a small lamp near one of the vases. Lauren had also stood and was putting on her clothes. Bo's mission to keep Lauren in place had failed. Her will was stronger than Bo thought. "They're enchanted, but never in a million years could I tell you how." The succubus gazed at the flowers and found the most handsome rose in her possession. She grabbed the stem and turned to Lauren. The doctor had something in her hand as well: money. Instead of staring into the eyes that she wished would return her affection, Bo stared at the cash. How many times would she have to remind herself that this was just a job? That Lauren was just another client?

Bo held out the rose. "Take this one," she offered. They traded in silence, the flower for money. When it was done, Bo walked toward the door, sure to leave first this time. A second ago, she hadn't wanted to say anything else, but it didn't end like that. "And if you want to see me again, I'll expect a full report on it."

Lauren smiled at her, holding the magic rose to her chest. Bo unconsciously smiled back.

* * *

**The gardenia is usually white or pale yellow and smells incredibly sweet. Given to another, it means "my love for you is a secret."**


	5. Petunia

Chapter 5: Petunia

Waiting for her car, Bo texted Officer Tamsin and told her that she would meet her tomorrow. The reason didn't need to be stated; she was sure the Valkyrie would understand. It was a quiet, contemplative drive home. Kenzi was surprised to see her return that evening. After a shower, the two spent what was left of the night in front of a loud television while some poor teenagers got lost on a road trip. They were murdered one by one until, finally, the killer was revealed to be a member of the group. The lone survivor, covered in the blood of their victims, drove to the nearest police station to tell the tale with dreams of living off the fame. Kenzi pegged the murderer in the first two minutes; it was a Friday night horror-flick record.

The next few days, Bo spent in a trance. She stared at her cellphone, waiting for someone – who shouldn't have had her number in the first place – to call. Kenzi was getting requests from other clients, and with Bo's permission set one a week for the next two months. It would give them more than enough money to leave town despite the fact that it didn't seem like they were going to.

Bo joined Tamsin at the gym for at least an hour every day. Between comical jabs at Dyson, Bo took jabs at Tamsin and vice-versa. It was a pleasant way to relieve some tension while building up her ability to defend herself. After a light workout, the succubus decided her happiness would be better served by the Dal's excellent selection of beverages.

She and Kenzi were drinking and laughing at their favorite table when trouble walked in from the rain. Bo grabbed her beer and sighed.

"Does it smell like wet dog to you, Kenz?"

The girl smirked. "You know, I think it does."

Dyson didn't waste any time. Without going to the bar for a drink, he went to their table instead, annoyed by their banter.

"Hello, whore."

Bo smiled, but wouldn't do him the service of acknowledging him with her eyes. "Always a pleasure, officer," she responded. Her sarcasm didn't beat out her disdain by much.

The wolf-shifter crossed his arms. "What did I say? If you kept giving it up for money in this town, I'd let the humans take you in. But here you are."

Kenzi butted in, sitting straighter in her chair. "And yet the only cop I see in here is you. Oh, wait- wait. Nope." The girl waved a finger toward the door at the Valkyrie who just walked in. Tamsin had already seen her comrades in trouble and made her way over. Kenzi stood at her side and placed a friendly arm around her. Tamsin didn't even seem to notice, she was too focused on Dyson. "Have you met Officer Tamsin? We really like her," Kenzi chimed, ever pleasant.

Behind an entertained smile, Bo watched the scene play out.

Tamsin wrinkled her nose. "Anybody smell wet dog?"

A quick hand covered the brunette's mouth as she attempted not to laugh. Dyson snarled, but the Valkyrie didn't stop there.

"Come near my friends again and expect my Dark Fae boot up your ass."

Dyson sneered again and left the bar completely. Some days it was good such a powerful feud between the Light and Dark remained, especially when it meant Bo could capitalize on it like this.

Kenzi turned to the blonde and smiled. "Tamsin! Friends?! I'm touched," she said, moving her hand over her chest in a flamboyant gesture.

"Everybody gets one," Tamsin deadpanned. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I came here to get drunk, not babysit a succubus and her only friend."

Kenzi shook her head as she watched Tamsin go. "I like her," the young woman stated. "We should keep her."

Bo chuckled and had another drink of her beer. "Keep her?"

Kenzi nodded. "We should keep Lauren too."

The succubus took in a large breath of air, ready to scold her friend until night's end. "How many times do I have to tell you that there's nothing going on between me and Lauren?"

"Which Lauren?" Kenzi pointed over her shoulder at something Bo hadn't noticed. "That Lauren?" Bo glanced in the direction and quickly lowered her head.

"Stop. Doing. That," she hissed through clenched teeth. Kenzi's little charade of pointing to the right people in a time of need wasn't cute anymore. Bo made herself as small as she could, trying to hide behind her friend. She couldn't hear her own thoughts over the sound of her heartbeat in her ears, but everything was telling her to run. Kenzi's amused smile was no comfort.

"Stop what?" the black-haired girl asked, mock-oblivious. "Stop getting in the way of you and Lauren? Okay!"

"No! No, Kenzi!" All disagreement was ignored. Kenzi rose from her seat. "Don't," Bo begged. "Don't make her come over here."

Kenzi tilted her head. "Oh, honey. I'm not going to do a thing. She'll be here on her own accord, I guarantee it." With that, she joined Tamsin at the bar.

Bo shut her eyes tightly and leaned on her elbow. One hand went up to her face to shield herself as she pleaded with Fate that if it couldn't make this end, that it at least bestow upon her the grace she'd need to face Lauren again.

"Bo, are you okay?"

The succubus removed her hand and looked up. "What? Oh," she shook her head. "I'm fine."

Lauren's eyebrows came together at the blatant contradiction, but she smirked anyway. "Can I join you?"

"It's a free bar," Bo said, waving her hand at the empty chair. "That has got to be one of the stupidest things I've ever said," she corrected after realizing that it was only 'free' for her and Kenzi because she was related to the owner. Everyone else had to pay for their drinks.

Lauren sat during the explanation, laughing to herself and trying not to show it.

For a few seconds they both were silent. Bo's plea for grace didn't quite pan out yet. If she couldn't have that, perhaps she could find a little courage in the bottom of her glass. One greedy swallow later, the human spoke up.

"I'm afraid I don't know much about that rose, yet. I haven't had much time lately."

"You made it here though."

The doctor nodded. "I had to ask Trick about the toxicity of Pixie dust, and if he's ever heard of an Ogre getting sick from it."

"Sounds fun…."

Lauren played with her hands on the table. "Not really," she muttered. "The last two… nights with you are the only outings I've had in a year that didn't involve work."

Bo swallowed and really looked at Lauren. Until this point she'd been avoiding reading the woman's aura. At the mention of their activities, Bo's desire had peaked. She focused on the blonde across from her. Lauren was hot, and not just physically attractive or warm from the heat of being around so many people. She was burning up, lust winding in her abdomen and gnawing at her insides for some release.

There was more to her than that, though. The way she was fiddling with her nails and tracing the lines in their wooden table – the doctor had something on her mind. Bo set herself up for a little prodding.

"Lauren, is everything alright?"

What began as nod, ended in total rejection. "No. I thought I would be happy living like this. Putting work before everything. I can't remember the last time I had two days off in a row, and that's certainly never fallen on a weekend. I take calls from Fae with stomach aches at three in the morning. I sleep and take all of my meals alone…. And I just thought, maybe someday, I'd have a chance at a normal life." Lauren picked up her hands and gestured as she tried to cover up her troubles. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean- This isn't your problem."

Bo reached across the table and took both of Lauren's hands in her own. "It's okay," she soothed. There was more she wanted to say, but the woman didn't allow her the time to do it.

"I have to get back to the compound," she whispered. "Ogres don't fix themselves."

"Can I walk you out?"

Lauren agreed, and as much as Bo didn't want to, she released the woman's hands. Bo fought her notion to say something more because none of the right words were coming to mind. Shoulder to shoulder, they walked in silence past the bar-goers and outside. The air was cold and heavy from the rain that had fallen. There was a black car parked at the curb a little ways down the road with its engine idling. No doubt it was Lauren's escort back.

Bo was going to accompany her to the vehicle, but suddenly Lauren grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the alley next to the bar. Hidden from view, Lauren held onto the succubus. One look into each other's eyes and it was plain. Neither one was leaving the wet side street without some kind of passionate embrace.

The Fae tangled both hands into Lauren's hair and brought their lips together. Lauren pushed right back into her, just as hungry. Precious minutes passed by. Breathing came in second to emotional desire for the pair. Bo savored the kiss with her eyes closed against the dark night that would see Lauren taken away from her.

Against her lips, Lauren's dulcet voice apologized. "I'm sorry, Bo. I have to go."

Bo kept her eyes shut and her forehead against Lauren's. "Don't," she pleaded. "Stay with me."

As gently as she could, the human pulled away. "I can't."

Trying to get a hold of herself, Bo nodded in understanding. She resumed her place next to the doctor and completed what she had come out here to do in the first place. Smiling, she got the door for Lauren and wished her goodnight. It was by far the worst goodbye she'd ever had to endure. Especially once the car door closed, and Bo realized that she hadn't told Lauren how beautiful she was.

They had met three times, and in the course of the mere hours spent together, Bo knew she wouldn't be the same.

The good cheer of the Dal went unnoticed by Bo as she went back in. Despite the multitude of movies and books and songs that said otherwise, she never knew love could happen so fast. In the presence of Tamsin, Kenzi didn't mention Lauren. Bo resumed her drinking, wishing the booze could make her feel half as good as Lauren did.

#

At the end of a restless night tossing in bed, Bo had made up her mind. Even if Lauren didn't know it, they had a lot in common. Namely, the wish for a normal life. The white picket fence. The kids… Did Lauren want kids? It didn't matter. She had to give them a chance to be together.

She had no idea how it would work – a slave and an escort, a human and a Fae… but her aching heart begged her to try. When Kenzi woke up from her disastrous night of trying to outdrink a Valkyrie, Bo would get Lauren's number.

It was almost noon by the time Bo's patience crumbled. She had imagined surprising Lauren with the call so many times that she had become paranoid that the nearby cell towers would short circuit soon in a bout of vindictive, electric rage.

Bo strode into her friend's room, grabbed Kenzi's still booted foot and hollered, "Hey! Wake up!" The girl moaned and complained.

"If this isn't an invasion of robot zombie hookers, or the shack isn't on fire, I don't care. Just let me sleep." Keniz struggled with the pillow beneath her head, but when she freed it – she chucked it in the direction of her harasser.

Bo scowled when the pillow hit her in the stomach. She was about to bother Kenzi again when she felt her pocket vibrate. Nervously, she retrieved her cell phone. The screen was alight with a message from a number she didn't recognize.

_"Bo, it's Lauren. Can you meet me in the hotel room right now? We need to talk."_

The Fae smiled as she texted the woman back. She typed out the message "on my way" and pestered Kenzi again.

"Hey. I'm going to go meet Lauren at the hotel…."

Kenzi merely waved her off and turned over on the mattress. The succubus rolled her eyes. She only spared herself a few minutes to make sure she was presentable, pulling her hair into a half ponytail. She grabbed her leather jacket, threw it on, and was out the door in a flash.

#

Bo tapped her fingers on Carla's desk, waiting for the Fae to notice her. As she turned around from shuffling papers, Bo said, "Early! Yes, I already know!" On the trip over, Lauren had texted her again. She didn't have a lot of time and was waiting on the brunette.

Carla's eyebrows knitted together, but she handed Bo her usual keycard just the same. The ride on the elevator was ridiculously long, but she survived it. Anticipation mounting, Bo opened the door with her lower lip caught between her teeth.

Some part of her had expected to see Lauren smiling with two glasses of champagne. But the doctor wasn't in the foyer.

Bo walked in, calling, "Lauren?" She thought she heard a footfall, but chalked it up to the automatic door lock engaging behind her. She took another step in when her companion was revealed.

"Not quite," Kasper answered.

Anger flared up within the succubus. "What have you done with Lauren?!"

"Not one thing. The Ash and I have a steady peace, and I'd like to keep it that way." He walked toward Bo, rubbing the scar on his chin with a gloved hand. "But there's nothing to keep me from hurting you."

Knowing that Lauren was safe was a weight off her shoulders, but that still left her with the problem of the Bannik crowding her. Not one to run from a fight, particularly since she'd spent the last few days training with Tamsin, Bo steeled herself for the brawl. She looked for any points of weakness in Kasper's apparel. Only his face was uncovered. There was no other place to try and enchant him.

Changing her tactics, she quickly reached for the dagger in her boot. She gripped the handle right when Kasper punched her in the face. She stumbled back and hit the door. Adrenaline pumping, she swung out with the blade. Kasper jumped back, but came at her a second later. His large hand seized her wrist, and squeezing with all his might, he made her drop the knife. Like a champagne flute, the blade clattered on the tile floor.

She tried to get her other hand on his neck, but he knocked it away. Laughing over her decided to taunt her.

"Be a good girl and I'll read you your future."

Still fighting him, Bo yelled back, "I don't need to be able to read the future to know that you are _fucked_!" Kasper pulled back his hand and went to strike her again in the face. "When my friends-"

With the final hit, Bo was knocked unconscious.

* * *

**Petunias have sticky petals and come in a wide variety of colors. It has two very contradictory meanings. It can signify anger and resentment – or – say that "just being with you is soothing."**

**Before I go here, I'd just like to say that there will be no sexual violence against Bo or any other character in this story. So if you were worried about that, don't be. Can't promise no one will be hurt though….**

**Sorry for the cliffhanger!**


	6. Marigold

**Who's ready for a chapter from Lauren's POV?!**

* * *

Chapter 6: Marigold

Lauren took notes over her legal pad about the Ogre's condition. At Trick's suggestion, she tried an infusion of bloodroot and nettle. It was still early in the treatment, but she had high hopes. It was then that her cellphone went off in her lab coat pocket. To her surprise, she discovered the caller was Kenzi.

"Hello?"

"_Hey doc, sorry to interrupt the positively steaming love-fest, but can I talk to Bo?"_

The blonde's eyebrows drew together. "Um, Bo's not with me," she explained.

"_She left?"_

"Kenzi, I haven't seen her in two days." Lauren walked away from her desk in the lab. There was no need to be in the presence of her assistants while she took this call. The last time she had seen Bo was the night at the Dal, the night she had kissed Bo and certainly did not pay for it.

"_What? That's not possible. She told me she was going to meet you at the hotel."_

"I'm sorry…" Lauren wasn't sure what else to say. This entire conversation was mystifying and Kenzi was obviously distraught over it.

"_Shit."_

"How long has she been gone?"

"_Since yesterday afternoon, I think."_

"And you haven't tried her cell?"

"_I'm young, I'm not stupid."_

Lauren huffed. "I think I can get away for a minute, I'll get a ride to the hotel and check it out, okay?"

"_Good. I'm going to call in the cavalry. Hopefully we can meet you there."_

There was a long pause before Kenzi started speaking again.

"_Bo probably didn't tell you this, but we kinda got on the bad side of the leader of The Pale Bones."_

The doctor winced. She'd met several members of the gang, having to lance knife wounds and pull metal balls from bullet holes. Even they would only whisper about their frontrunner. Lauren knew his species and his name; that was about it. But of course Bo wouldn't tell her about the altercation. They were partners in a business transaction…. Not even friends….

"She failed to mention that."

"_Probably just didn't want you to worry."_

"Well, I'm worried now."

"_Me too."_

#

Convincing the Ash to let her leave the compound was easy once Lauren offered up her lunch hour. She borrowed a car without permission and tossed her travel bag of medical supplies in the passenger seat. Persuading the front desk attendant would probably be another matter.

Duffle bag on her arm, Lauren strode into the richest hotel on that side of town. She recognized the receptionist. It was the same Light Fae who had checked her in before – the same Light Fae she'd put a cast on for a broken arm.

Carla greeted her, but she cut right to the chase. "I need a card to room 365."

The Fae shook her head. "I can't authorize that. You're not expected."

It wasn't often that Lauren let her temper get the better of her. She'd mastered the art of snuffing agitation and pulled rank instead of yelling.

"This is a medical emergency. There's a Fae up there who needs my help, and I don't think the Ash would appreciate it if you prevented me from doing my job."

Carla produced the keycard a moment later. Lauren plucked it from her fingers and went straight to the elevator, praying that she was wrong – that no one needed her help.

But the succubus did need her, badly.

Just as the elevator door was closing, Lauren heard Kenzi shout from the lobby.

"Hold up!"

Lauren put her hand between the doors, and sensing that it wasn't safe to close, they opened again.

Accompanying Kenzi was a woman of clear Scandinavian descent. Together, the three of them rode the lift up. Lauren eyed the other blonde, unsure about her. Noticing the scrutiny, the woman introduced herself. She didn't seem to be bothered by Lauren's interest one bit.

"Tamsin. Dark Fae. Protector of the meek."

Any other scenario and Lauren might have smiled at her.

Halfway to their floor she replied, "Lauren. Human. Healer of the weak."

Tamsin grinned as Kenzi looked like she was racking her brain for something to follow with.

"Kenzi. Human. Uh…"

The elevator door opened on the 36th floor. Lauren was first out, followed by Tamsin who offered Kenzi an option.

"How about Kenzi, ruler of the freaks?"

From behind her, Lauren heard the young woman gasp.

"You are _so_ mean," Kenzi responded.

At Bo's room, Lauren used the keycard to gain them entry. The foyer was empty, but she could hear water running in the bathroom. Quietly, the trio walked to bathroom door. It was slightly ajar, so Lauren pushed it open and exposed a man washing blood off a dagger in the sink. Discovered and angry, he grabbed the knife by the hilt and went to attack.

Tamsin pushed the doctor out of the way, and Lauren watched as her face went skeletal. It was like seeing an x-ray of a human skull superimposed over Tamsin's face. Terror and doubt permeated the atmosphere. Lauren wondered if the Valkyrie could scare the paint off the walls like some live action version of Silent Hill.

The attacker fell to his knees and gaped at his weapon. It shook in his palm before Tamsin backhanded it away from him. Two-handed, she latched onto his shirt and threw him out of the bathroom. Vision cleared of the burly obstruction, Lauren finally found the succubus they were all looking for.

Hands bound to the single shower handle, she kneeled in the tub with her head down, resting on the metal faucet. Her back was cut open and carved with a slew of gashes where some intersected and some stood alone. They were symbols, Lauren was certain. The showerhead poured lukewarm water onto the Fae from above. Her clothes, her hair – everything was drenched and dripping. The water at her knees: pink with her blood. Lauren ran to the tub and fished out a scalpel from her bag.

She shut the water off, trying not to jostle Bo. The brunette didn't even seem to know anything was happening. Since being with Bo, Lauren had made learning about succubi a priority. She knew Bo could heal herself if she took someone's chi, but that could only happen if she was aware enough to do it. Until then, Lauren would have to do what she did best.

"Kenzi!" Lauren shouted. "Get some towels!" She cut the thin cord keeping Bo in place and lowered Bo's arms to her side. She tried to get Bo's attention, calling her name while picking her head up from the faucet. Bo's head rolled into Lauren's hands, having no will of her own to do anything but let gravity have her.

Lauren needed to get Bo out of the tub and somewhere she could work over her. The black-haired girl appeared a moment later with white fabric in her hand. Lauren wrapped it over Bo's back to stop the bleeding while they carried her from the bathroom.

Moving her to the bed, Lauren and Kenzi laid Bo on her front. Lauren's clothes were plastered to her side with water and blood from the succubus.

"Make sure her head is turned so she can breathe," the doctor ordered Kenzi. She returned to the bathroom for her bag and another towel. On the way back to her patient, Lauren glanced over at Tamsin. She was handcuffing the assailant. He looked halfway out of his mind, and after a hit from a Valkyrie like that – he probably was.

"I'm going to get him out of here."

Lauren nodded. "Meet us back at Bo's place when you're done."

"Doc, you got gloves in there? I need one."

Lauren produced the required item and handed a blue rubber glove to the Valkyrie. Tamsin put it on and grabbed the dagger on the floor. With her free hand she shoved her prisoner away.

If Bo could be roused into full consciousness, then Lauren needed to try. Returning to the bed, the doctor said Bo's name several times and watched her for any kind of acknowledgment. Bo moaned once, but her eyes remained closed. There was no doubt about it, the succubus had moved far beyond the physical plane and that _bastard_ had done this to her.

Lauren bit her lip, allowing the pain overwhelm her feeling of hate. Anger wouldn't help anyone right now.

Carefully, she started to pull the towel up to see if Bo's bleeding had stopped enough to clean the wounds and bandage them.

Kenzi hovered over the mattress right next to her. "Is she going to be okay?"

Not wanting to compromise her own emotions and decide on the truth, Lauren lied. "She'll be fine."

Bo's back was a mess of red lines and light bruising. Lauren cut Bo's destroyed jacket and shirt away, then cleaned and bandaged her flesh a section at a time. Most of the wounds were on the surface. It was the ones that were deeper, that beads of blood seeped out of until covered with gauze. There would be no saving the hotel's bedsheets or towels.

Lauren would have given anything to be able to take Bo back to the Light Fae compound, to her hospice that was fully staffed and stocked with anything they would need to help her recover. But she was a slave – and there was nothing more she could give that the Ash would take in payment. The Ash had a strict policy: no Dark, no unaligned, no exceptions. She mentally cursed the Fae and their pointless feud.

A human hospital was out of the question as Lauren had no idea if any of Bo's injuries were magical in nature. All she could do was get Bo back home. Carrying an unconscious woman through a hotel wasn't an easy task, but once employees saw them in the lobby – those that were able to helped get Bo into Lauren's SUV.

#

Lauren stood vigil over Bo's bedside. It had been an hour since finding her in the hotel, and she could only imagine the dimension of Hell Bo had spent her last 24 hours enduring.

Tamsin still hadn't shown up, but all of Lauren's worry was centered on the one person she had opened up to. Maybe if she would've stayed with Bo that night this wouldn't have happened. She would have, but… the Ash wouldn't have taken it well. No matter the consequences, Lauren was staying put this time. For all the Light knew, she had run away like roughly half of their human pets did at least once in their lives.

"Kenzi?" Lauren nudged the girl sitting in the chair next to her. "Can you get me something to write on?" The young woman had confirmed that the attacker was Kasper, the Bannik, and if he was that type of Fae then the symbols on Bo's back probably meant something. Once upon a time, Lauren had been teased for her photographic memory, but it was about to come in handy.

Kenzi gave her a notebook, so she pulled a pen bag and wrote down what she could recall. She finished the last mark just when Tamsin banged on the door and hollered something unintelligible.

Together they met her at the door and let her in. She was not happy, in fact, she looked pissed.

"What's going on?" Lauren asked.

"Kasper's gone."

Kenzi threw her arms up in disgust. "What do you mean gone?!"

"Dog-boy Dyson walked right up to the holding cell and let him out, that's what I mean!" Tamsin huffed and walked past the two humans. "He's Light, so the Light are going to deal with him. And let me make it perfectly clear to both of you, when I say _deal _with him, I mean _free_ him."

Lauren shook her head. "On what grounds?"

"Whatever they can make up," the Valkyrie answered. She held no love for the Light. "I told them I had witnesses, evidence… but they don't care. I'm Dark Fae, Bo's unaligned, and they're not going to take either of our words over Kasper's. Idiot was still muttering like a loon, but they took him. I'll be lucky if they don't come for me for using my powers on him." Tamsin's lungs filled to the brink before she released the air in a long, steady breath. "How's Bo?"

"Unconscious and weak," Lauren answered. "I don't see any reason she won't be fine once she wakes up long enough to heal herself."

Tamsin nodded to the open journal in Lauren's hand. "What's that?"

Lauren looked at the page. Not all the cuts were symbols, but some appeared to be a line of text and it was those she wrote down.

"The symbols Kasper cut into…." Lauren swallowed before Tamsin walked to her. The Valkyrie peered over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes.

"You mean to tell me Kasper wasn't just playing ticktacktoe on her back?"

Lauren's nostrils flared, venting the anger that had just risen up. Tamsin had helped save Bo, there was no doubt about it, but comparing what she'd been through to a child's game was just a little too crass for Lauren. Especially considering Kasper's message. Her next words were calculated and delivered as emotionlessly as she could manage.

"It's the runic alphabet of Elder Futhark and it says: no future."

* * *

**Marigolds bloom in colors like gold, orange, and maroon. They're very common and easy to grow. In Mexico, they're used to celebrate the Day of the Dead. "Cruelty" and "grief" are what they signify.**


	7. Azalea

**I wish I could edit this site's message after you leave a review. You know the one that says the author thanks you for your continued support or whatever... If I could, it would say this instead: "Hell yeah, thank you for the review! And this author hopes you enjoy the fuck out of their story!" And then maybe a standard disclaimer apologizing for all the cursing... So thank you guys, and I do hope you're enjoying this.**

* * *

Chapter 7: Azalea

Bo opened her eyes and for the longest second expected to see a tub faucet in front of her. She was in her bedroom, alone, with absolutely no idea how she'd gotten there. Her back was sore. The amount of pure will it took to move to the edge of her four-post bed and sit up didn't stifle the gasp that came out of her mouth when it was done.

She was dressed only in her satin robe and could feel the tug of tape on her skin. Someone had taken the time to bandage and clean her up.

If she was home then that had to mean Kenzi found her, but where was the young woman now? Bo's answer came in the form of voices drawing near. What was said was muffled at first.

"…might not mean that."

Bo recognized the voice, it was Tamsin. Apparently she and whoever she was talking to were heading upstairs.

"It was probably just a scare tactic," the Valkyrie said, rounding the corner to Bo's room. "Well, good morning sunshine!"

Bo grimaced at her. In no scenario of being of tortured and waking up with no idea of what was going on, would she have found that funny.

Kenzi came in after Tamsin, and Lauren after that.

"Oh, Bo!" The doctor went to her bedside and put a steadying hand on Bo's arm. "You shouldn't be up!" Bo smiled. Lauren's concern was endearing, not to mention now cute it was the way her brow creased when she was worried. Under her own dagger, there were many times the thought of Lauren lessened the sting of Kasper's revenge. Above all, Bo had only asked for one more chance to tell her how beautiful she was. "Well, actually since you're awake now I suppose it doesn't matter," Lauren continued. "You need to take someone's chi; you can have mine."

Bo shook her head. She had used chi to heal before twice and both instances she'd taken it from Fae. Every other time she took chi from a human – they died.

"I can't do that," Bo admitted. "It has to be from a Fae."

Bo, Kenzi, and Lauren all immediately looked to Tamsin, the message clear.

The Valkyrie took a step back. "Um, I'm going to go with no. I don't need no chi-suck from a half-dead hooker!" From beside her, Kenzi backhanded the Scandinavian on the arm. "Ow! Alright!" Tasmin rubbed where she'd been hit and walked to Bo. "I'll do it, but I'm not going to like it."

"Sure you will," Bo rasped, and then winked at her. With Lauren's help the succubus got to her feet. She moved in to initiate the flow of chi, but Tamsin leaned away.

"Wait, wait, wait. Shouldn't you like, buy me dinner or something first?"

Bo narrowed her eyes. Tamsin was being unusually adverse to something that was quite simple and wouldn't have any lasting effects on her. In their short time together, Bo thought she knew the blonde well enough. Tamsin was down for fighting anything that called into question the strength of her character. Including picking battles with Fae three times her size on a regular basis at the gym.

"What's your deal, Tamsin? It's just one kiss," Bo said. She didn't feel the tightening grip on her arm from Lauren or notice the way the doctor's jaw was set. Standing was becoming difficult. Her legs were weak and her back felt like it was on fire.

"I just don't think you can handle _this_," Tamsin answered, holding her arms out to boast. "Look at me. I'm a hot piece of-"

In pain and done with the banter, Bo kissed the Valkyrie without allowing her another word. She took in the Fae's warm breath, followed shortly after by her vibrant blue chi. Tamsin reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders. Her grip tightened quickly, so much so that Bo's skin bruised – then healed just as rapidly. Tamsin's chi was exceptional, but the line between taking what she needed to heal and stealing too much was thinning out. Bo severed the tie, unaware if her back was completely healed or not.

Tamsin released her and stumbled backwards. "Fuck!"

Bo's breathing was ragged, and she still needed Lauren's help to stand. "Sorry…."

Kenzi chuckled from her corner of the room. "I take it there wasn't exactly any fireworks?"

The Scandinavian rubbed the back of her neck and pulled out of a lock of her hair. "You could say that."

Kenzi gasped. "What the heck?! Is that your hair?!" The young girl looked at her best friend. "I hate to say it, Bo, but you've lost your touch."

"No, no, no," Tamsin interrupted. "This doesn't have anything to do with her.… I have to go."

Lauren was uncharacteristically silent through the exchange and escorted Bo to the bed. If the doctor knew what was going on, she wasn't sharing.

Kenzi stopped Tamsin. "Hey, drop me off at the hotel, will ya? I need to get the car."

At the mention of her Camero and dangerous-behind-the-wheel Kenzi, Bo perked right up. "Don't you hurt my baby," she threatened.

Kenzi had to move quickly to keep up with the Valkyrie, but she still managed a gibe from the stairs. "Lauren will be fine!"

Bo glanced up at the doctor standing over her and felt a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. Lauren tried not to meet her eyes and went into the doctor mode. Bo didn't know it yet, but Lauren was not going to be fine. Her phone had rung so many times in the past hour that Lauren turned it off. Patient as the Ash was, he did not keep liars and traitors underfoot.

"Let me see your back," she whispered.

Bo loosened her robe and let it fall from her back while still holding enough fabric over her chest. There was still some discomfort, but it was a phantom pain compared to what she had been through. Lauren sat down next to her and removed the bandages from her skin.

"You still have a few wounds that didn't heal. I need to see if there's any nerve damage, so I'm going to do a few tests, okay? Tell me if this hurts…"

Bo felt Lauren's fingertips immediately. The doctor started at the base of her neck and drew her fingers down, slowly. It was agony on Bo's reserve. How was she supposed to focus on holding up her robe if Lauren was so close _and_ touching her? It was too much. She was about to let go, when Lauren caressed the side of a cut.

"Ow! Yep…. Yep…. That hurt…." Bo grimaced and tried to keep her eyes from tearing up. Her body was flush with pain and a new dose of adrenaline.

"I'm sorry," Lauren said, moving her fingers away from the injury but keeping in physical contact. "But that's a good sign. A few days of rest, or more chi, and you'll be right as rain. My offer still stands."

Bo's heart went into overdrive. She didn't have to take Lauren's chi straight from the source and risk killing her to finishing healing. The hotel was over a fifteen minute drive from home, so they would be alone for at least the next half hour. Knowing Kenzi and her aptitude for joyrides, it would likely be longer still. The succubus fixed her only covering and turned toward Lauren.

"I can't take chi from you like I did with Tamsin." Lauren remained silent but was obviously interested in Bo's explanation. "I've never done that to a human… without killing them."

"But it can be done," the doctor argued.

"Maybe," Bo said with a light nod. "But I'm not going to try it out on you."

"You and I both know there are other ways to heal a succubus."

Bo swallowed; her throat utterly devoid of moisture. The chance to sleep with Lauren was too good to pass up, but why did all of their roads lead to sex for the sake of sex – and not sex for the sake of love? Bo's head fell. Years of selling her body and her powers crowned with a dark night of torture and finding the woman she loved, and _this_ was probably as good as it was going to get.

She knew that she should've been thankful, especially after what Kasper-

Lauren halted all thought with a hand under Bo's chin. "I know what I'm doing, Bo," she said, holding the brunette's gaze. Lauren brought them together, kissing Bo tenderly on the lips. "You need," she paused and kissed her again, "your strength."

Bo was under her spell, caressed into submission and kissed into a frenzy. She tried to pull Lauren on top of her so they could lie down on her bed, but the doctor moved away. Bo raised an eyebrow when Lauren kneeled in front of her, her hands moving up from Bo's ankles to her thighs beneath the length of her robe.

"You should probably stay sitting up," Lauren clarified. One hand continued upward and found a place of rest on Bo's right hip. Her lips and tongue traced every minute curve of Bo's stomach, moving low, before she looked up and said, "If you can…"

Lauren's burning gaze was all it took for Bo to need to prop herself up with her hands. The knot of her robe finally came undone with the motion. The fabric piled onto the bed as Bo curled her toes on the cold wooden floor. Barely a minute in and Lauren was doing wonders. The succubus rocked her hips in time, noticing that every thrust was stretching the cuts on her back less and less.

On the cusp of Bo's release, her breathing came up short. She was exhausted and her body couldn't take much more. With her last bit of air, she called out Lauren's name and then collapsed down onto her bed.

Biting her lip from her own arousal, the human sat next to Bo again. "Roll over?"

Bo shook her head and grabbed Lauren's wrist to pull her down with her. The woman fell with a laugh that was a joy to hear. She continued giggling as they rolled around on her mattress and settled into a more comfortable position. Bo's mind was full of questions, like how long had she been unconscious? What happened to Kasper? Who found her? And why in God's name did Tamsin react so badly to her kiss? But sailing on the euphoria Lauren had given her made her only want to do one thing.

Bo moved Lauren's hair from her face and kissed her. The doctor was fully clothed, but she didn't care. She would be close to this woman, nakedness be damned. She dropped onto her back once more and took Lauren's hand to hold on top of her chest. Lauren got the message loud and clear. She scooted closer and rested her head on Bo's shoulder.

A few minutes passed in silence. Bo was wise about the time, committing to memory the feel of Lauren cuddled up next to her. She was aware that at some point Laure would have to go. She had commitments not easily broken.

"Bo?"

A deep fear welled up into the succubus. It hadn't happened yet – the fallout from her traumatic experience, but the thought of Lauren leaving her would be the perfect trigger. She let Lauren talk, ignorant of her shallow breathing.

"I don't know when I'll be able to see you again…. I didn't have the Ash's permission to leave like I did."

"What did you do?"

"Stole a car."

Bo chuckled softly. She hadn't expected Lauren to become a criminal for her; it was sweet in a kind of Bonnie and Clyde way.

"You don't have to go back," Bo whispered. "Kenzi and I have been saving money. I could get all three of us out of here. We could leave as soon as Kenzi comes back." She knew she was being rash, but she was 100% sincere no matter what future Kasper promised would come to pass.

"Why would you do that? You barely know me."

"Whoever you are – I know you." Bo wanted to follow with her first confession of love, but she hesitated just long enough for Lauren to sigh and move out of her embrace.

"The Ash will come for me; he'll send someone." Lauren grabbed the chain of her long necklace and held it so tightly that the links imprinted onto her fingers. She stood and took a few steps forward. "I can't put you and Kenzi in that kind of danger."

Bo sat up and put her robe back on to stand behind the doctor. "I don't know if you noticed my injuries, but Kenzi and I can put ourselves in that kind of danger just fine."

Lauren didn't appreciate the joke. She rolled her eyes and huffed. With a small smile, Bo placed her arms around the woman. She kissed Lauren's neck and whispered in her ear.

"I'm sorry."

That got Lauren's attention. She turned her head to watch Bo and asked, "Sorry for what?"

"I'm sorry I let even one day go by without telling you how beautiful you are."

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**The azalea is actually a flowering shrub, with thick clusters of bright pink flowers. It means "take care of yourself, for me."**


	8. Hydrangea

**For the person who I hoped I'd enjoy the fuck out of their review: I did. For all of you: the next chapter! I apologize for its lateness. Life has finally caught up with me and I've had to get a new job. However, I'm going to do my best to continue and write as quickly as I can.**

**Also, for some really weird reason chapter 6 of this story has been changed to another chapter from a different story… I've changed it back on my end, so hopefully it's fixed for you guys too (and thank you to the person who pointed that out to me).**

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Chapter 8: Hydrangea

Lauren had turned down Bo's offer to run with a pertinent excuse, but the succubus couldn't let her go so easily. Since meeting the doctor that first night, her entire world had spun in the opposite direction – undoing everything that made her feel like a stable individual.

The doctor moved out of her grasp and turned to face the other woman. "Bo, there's something you need to know-"

Bo took Lauren's hands in her own, halting her speech. "There's something you need to know too…" The Fae paused, steeling herself for a powerful admittance. She couldn't quite decide if she wanted to hear Lauren out, or spill her own guts first. That nagging feeling that Lauren was going to say the same thing Bo wanted to was hell on her nerves. Before she would burst, she opened her mouth to speak – and was immediately cut off by Lauren.

"Kasper is still alive."

_Hard on her wrists, Bo fought the cord tying her to the water control. The man with the scar on his chin was fiddling with her dagger and muttering about razor blades. Apparently, he preferred them over knives but would use her weapon instead. Something about not wanting to make contact with her skin…. Bo didn't give one fuck. She had to get out of this restraint and fight back._

_Crouched, she used her body weight and pulled. It felt like she might dislocate her wrists before she got free. Just as she thought she'd loosened them a little bit, her foot slid on what was left of Kasper's most recent attempt at water torture._

_She slipped and fell on her ass. A taunting voice echoed off the tile._

_"Now, now. There's no need for that, doll. Don't you want to know your fate?"_

_"No!" she barked, frustrated. "And I'm not your doll." Bo's tongue emphasized the petname, wanting to be rid of it. She wasn't sure how long she'd been unconscious. There was no natural light to judge time by, just the harsh florescent light above the mirror. "Be something other than a dick and tell me what time it is," she ordered. She didn't care if he turned the shower on again. Scorching water or frigid – she needed to know how long she had been gone from her home, and maybe figure out how long it would be until Kenzi figured out something was wrong and came looking._

_Kasper palmed the dagger's handle, curling his fingers around it. He didn't reveal a watch or pull out a cell phone from some pocket. Instead, he squatted next to the tub and pushed her forward with a gloved hand._

_Bo grunted and swiftly had to turn her head to avoid colliding with the faucet._

_"It's time…." Kasper placed a hand on the back of Bo's neck to hold in her place. She pushed against it but her compromised position afforded her no leverage. "It's time to read your future." The first cut of the dagger was when it became real for Bo. This wasn't part of some bad dream. The things she read about Kasper, the fear he instilled in others was about to be inflicted upon her._

_Several more incisions later, Bo had to stop resisting. She heaved, exhausted, and laid her head against the faucet as she watched her blood pour into the tiny holes of the drain. Her lungs burned with every passage of air. The dagger's marks were just as painful. Bo closed her eyes as Kasper drew the blade through her clothes and across her skin again. This line was just beneath her left shoulder blade and she winced as the metal tip struck bone. Behind her eyelids, her brain translated the pain into a bright white light._

_"There is no future in which you can survive." Kasper began to laugh, as if the reading of her blood confirmed what he had known all along. "Death waits for you…."_

Hearing that Kasper was still alive was like a punch to the stomach. Sometime in the five seconds that it took her to realize she'd been wrong in assuming that Kasper had been dealt with, she had dropped Lauren's hands. She'd been fooling herself if she thought Kasper's end would invalidate the truth of his prediction, but she had still wanted it.

Bo got a complete rundown on what happened in the following minutes while she got dressed. With Kasper alive and free, everyone Bo cared for was in danger. That was more than enough for the seed of fear he'd planted to grow roots in her subconscious. Maybe he wouldn't harm Lauren, but he'd known plenty about her to use her against Bo.

The succubus ran her fingers through her hair. She was missing something. The Ash had probably known of Lauren's activities outside the compound, of her arrangement with the unaligned succubus. Lauren was a slave; she needed permission for such things…

But why would the Ash tell Kasper about it? Why would Kasper ask? Then she remembered who had secured Kasper's release from Tamsin's custody. Before her mind could put it all together, there was a crash downstairs.

"Stay here," Bo ordered, pointing a stern finger in Lauren's direction.

The succubus grabbed the bat she kept under her mattress and walked to the top of the stairs. She took each step carefully until she was on the ground floor. There was no one at the door, but the wood swung from its hinges and let in the rain from a slow-moving storm. When Bo turned back around, Dyson pointed a small handgun at her chest.

"Bo Dennis, normally I'd state your alignment, but since you don't have one – I guess I'll just skip it. You're under arrest for theft and assault on a Light Fae. Drop the bat and turn around with your hands up."

Instead of doing what was commanded, she gripped the weapon a little tighter. "Theft?!" she shouted. "I haven't stolen anything!" When it came to understanding law and Fae law especially, Bo was not very knowledgeable, but she was deadest on the impression that Dyson was using his position to do the one thing she would never let him do.

Screw her.

"What, Dyson? What have I taken then?!" She ignored the charge of assault. No doubt it was Kasper's way of protecting himself.

"Lauren is Light Fae property," he answered, matter-of-factly. "And I know she's here; I can smell her."

Something inside Bo snapped. She hoisted the bat, knowing that the only thing she couldn't survive was an immediate kill-shot.

"Lauren is no one's _property_!"

Understanding that he would be outmatched with a single touch from Bo, the wolf-shifter took a step back. He lined up his sight, just in time for the human in question to show up behind Bo. Before the succubus could stop her, Lauren stood between the Fae.

"I'm right here, Dyson. Take me back and leave her alone."

Dyson lowered his gun. Shooting the doctor would not bring him much praise from the Ash…

"I can't-"

Lauren cut off the wolf-Fae's rebuke. "You can and you will. I don't have any doubt that the Ash will take your word over mine, but did you remember to erase the compound's security recordings of me leaving on my own?"

"Of course I did."

"What about the hotel's?"

Dyson scowled, insulted by the doctor's line of questioning. "This isn't my first rodeo, human."

Lauren smirked. "So there's no physical evidence of Bo kidnapping me except for your word? Huh…. Did you know the receptionist at the hotel was Light Fae?" Bo could practically see Dyson's confidence in himself dwindle with every one of Lauren's words. It was magnificent to say the least. "She saw me come in alone and bring Bo back out. Let me tell you, Bo was half-dead and Carla witnessed it. In fact, she probably gave Kasper the room key, totally unaware of what was going to happen a little later. So that's Carla's word, Tamsin's word, Bo's word, and my word against… you and the leader of a violent gang? But I'm sure the Ash will understand these charges against Bo," she finished, entirely sarcastic.

The brunette's heart swelled with pride. If not for the nature of their situation, Bo would have told Lauren that she loved her right then and there.

Dyson was a clever man, cunning enough to use Kasper's grudge with Bo to better his own. He was motivated enough to inform Kasper of Lauren and Bo's connection. But would he be smart enough to take the out Lauren was about to offer?

"We're going back, just the two of us, and you're going to tell the Ash that I ran away."

Bo couldn't keep quiet any longer. Before Dyson could agree or not, she lowered the bat and put a hand on Lauren's shoulder.

"No, Lauren. I won't let you go back there like that."

"It's not your decision to make," the human answered.

"Dyson." Bo's eyes traveled past Lauren and to the detective. "What's the punishment for a runaway human?" She would've asked Lauren, but she didn't trust her to be completely honest.

"The first time, it's few days in the dungeon, the second – it's a beating and then the dungeon. The third is death."

Bo looked back at Lauren. "This would be your first, right?"

Lauren's head fell. "The first time I wasn't really trying to leave. It was an accident. I just got lost on my way back to the compound."

"Okay… So this is the second time," Bo said, trying to rationalize letting Lauren take a beating for her but knowing she wasn't going to let that happen. When Lauren didn't confirm or deny her statement, Bo's stomach dropped. She turned the human away from Dyson and tried to meet her eyes. "_This_ is the second time, isn't it?"

From over Lauren's shoulder, Dyson's low voice sounded. "The second time Lauren tried to leave – I found her three days later, halfway across the country."

Bo finally let go of her weapon. She was ready to surrender or fight Dyson to the death – whatever it would take to spare Lauren. Two handedly she moved the doctor out of her way. She couldn't look at the blonde, couldn't stand to see Lauren honestly believe that Bo's life was worth more than her own.

"Dyson, please," Bo started, trying to appeal to his better nature. "I beg you. Let us both go. I can pay you. We'll leave and never come back."

Finally holding all the cards, Dyson smiled. "I can't do that. I'm taking in a thief, or I'm taking in a runaway. Either way, _someone's_ leaving in handcuffs."

Bo took a step forward, intending to be the one Dyson captured. Lauren grabbed Bo's wrist and hollered at her.

"Goddamnit, Bo! I'm trying to protect you!" The hold on Bo's arm only tightened further when Lauren gave the reason she was fighting so hard. "I love you!"

Lauren knew her voice had shook, but she didn't care. She had felt passion before because of Bo, but it wasn't until now that she understood it. Passion was the strongest form of desire. It was a trembling whisper on the edge of a beautiful disaster. And what was more beautiful than a succubus?

What was more disastrous than loving one?

The human shut her eyes. She felt Bo trying to turn in her grip so she loosened her hold just enough to allow it. When Bo placed a hand on her face and rubbed a thumb against her jaw, Lauren opened her eyes again.

Dyson holstered his weapon and pulled out a pair of steal cuffs, certain that his revenge was assured either way. He had hoped to take in Bo and convince the Ash to punish her as severely as possible before letting Kasper finish what he started, but he would happily settle for the death of Bo's lover first.

The setting, the timing, the extra company – not a single factor was how Bo had wanted it to be. But her future wouldn't be complete without letting the blonde know that she wasn't alone in her feelings.

"Lauren… if you'll let me, I won't let a single day go by without telling you how much I love you." Bo kissed her, letting her free hand fall to her side. Before she could break the contact, Dyson approached her from behind and latched the first restraint around Bo's wrist without touching her.

Lauren heard the clicking of the metal and released Bo's arm to grab her by the shirt.

"Let go," Bo whispered. The rest of what she said was conveyed without a sound. She met brown eyes and mouthed the words, "Trust me."

Lauren hesitated a moment more, but when she released the Fae, she watched as Bo threw her fist around and hit Dyson in the chin. The man staggered backwards and growled when he got his bearings. Instead of getting out his firearm, he partially wolfed-out. His nails lengthened into claws as his canine teeth grew, and his eyes went dark. Fae against Fae – Dyson should've stuck to his guns.

Bo's first real fight against Kasper had been a quick loss, but the succubus wasn't about to shame Tamsin's training a second time. Dyson lowered himself to lunge at her, but before he could spring, Bo kicked him. His head whipped violently to the side a second time. Tamsin had told her constantly that if she was ever unsure of what to do in a fight, to ask herself: what would Tamsin do?

Knowing the Valkyrie, Tamsin would've have grabbed Dyson by the hair on his chiny-chin-chin and smashed his nose on her knee. Bo had to settle for getting a hand on his neck and making her powers flow into him. Sufficiently enchanted and with a smitten look, Bo threw his head against the nearest wall. He struck a wooden beam and fell, unconscious.

Bo looked down at the handcuffs dangling from her wrist. Dyson would have the keys on him. She searched his body and found them in a pocket.

Lauren was remarkably calm, everything considered. "I changed my mind," she said, a little breathless. "I want to leave with you."

Bo stood, and with a swift turn of the key, freed herself. She grinned at the doctor.

"That's good to hear."

She went back to Dyson and searched the open wall for a pipe. Lauren began to speak as Bo pulled the unconscious Fae a little ways down the hall.

"You haven't said it yet," she baited.

"Haven't said what?" Bo asked, cuffing Dyson's limp arm then hoisting it up to an exposed copper pipe.

"That you love me…"

Bo bit her lip, embarrassed with herself as she finished her task. When it was done, she approached Lauren. Feelings stirred under a powerful current every time Bo saw Lauren, and this was no exception.

"I love you."

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**Hydrangeas are stunning flowers that, at first glance, look like a mass of small butterflies. Their color changes depending on the acidity of their soil, but the most popular color is blue. "Heartfelt emotion" is what the hydrangea means.**


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